Eeth Koth - TCW [SOTDS] - Basic (CW51)

Eeth Koth is captured by General Grievous. The Jedi Master's cruiser is attacked and boarded by the Separatist general. As a member of the Zabrak species, Koth has a remarkable endurance for pain, a trait that may help him withstand the cruel treatment he undergoes as Grievous' hostage.

With each evolving season of The Clone Wars television show, the basic figure line based on it does so too. The focus for the action figures in the Hasbro line, believe it or not, have truly shifted since its beginnings in 2008 from bring kid-centered to craftily drawing in collectors with the inclusion of background characters that truly reach the core of collectors. Reaching for characters that really need updates in the realistic line first, the way they make characters like the Jedi is simply impressive. And as a side note, the use of soft-goods has never been better. Eeth Koth, who last saw release from Hasbro in the 2004 OTC Jedi High Council (Scene 2) TRU exclusive multipack now gets worked into The Clone Wars line and the results are something that should excite you. (Editor’s Note: The 2004 OTC Jedi High Council (Scene 4) sets used a slightly repainted version of the 2001 POTJ Eeth Koth figure and called it Agen Kolar. Talk about something very confusing! But we really haven’t seen an update for him in the realistic basic figure line.) So how does the new [animated] Eeth Koth action figure stack up? Well, it certainly makes us happy, but you’ll have to judge it for yourself. As we’ve just mentioned, Hasbro is really doing all they can to make the best action figures for the Jedi characters in The Clone Wars. Eeth Koth is no exception at all and with a fantastic head sculpt and great articulation, consider this a must-have addition for your collection.

Eeth Koth has a wonderful portrait. The paint job reinforces just how brilliantly the sculptors at Hasbro are able to translate the computed animation into a three-dimensional action figure. The face is proportionate and his expression is not too accentuated which is great because it won’t force you into posing him one way or the other. The paint job is superb. Eeth Koth has tattooed lines that are as thin as hairs placed all over his face and ever single one (on our sample at least) is perfectly applied without any bleeding or unevenness. The horns on his head constantly remind you that Koth is a not too far distant cousin of the evil Darth Maul yet his Jedi attire overrides those thoughts to assure you that he’s on the right side of the Force. Eeth Koth comes with a healthy 12 points of articulation. Normally we would say this is plenty for a figure of this caliber, but Eeth Koth has some unfortunate center of gravity/balancing issues that ankle joints would have surely remedied. It is possible with a little finagling to get Eeth Koth to stand unassisted, but it will try your patience just a little bit. Thankfully, the figure scores high marks as far as authenticity is concerned and it makes it easier to forgive its faults. Eeth Koth comes with forearm gauntlets with a beautiful insignia on each and he comes with a green lightsaber to battle the Separatist forces on Geonosis.

To date, Eeth Koth has appeared in only one episode of The Clone Wars television show (aside from a holographic appearance in another), so it is surprising that Hasbro decided to make an action figure of this [tertiary] character. Hasbro seems to be very inconsistent with who they say they will bring into the basic figure line and who they actually do bring. Always seeing The Clone Wars line as for kids, we can count ourselves fortunate that Hasbro sees the potential for characters like Eeth Koth to be cast as action figures. It’s evident that a character like Eeth Koth doesn’t fit the protocol for a kid-focused action figure, but we bet there will be plenty of kids who will want him. And it really proves to us that Hasbro is trying to make collectors happy in a line that is supposedly geared for kids. Honestly, Eeth Koth and wave mate Barriss Offee are two of the most refreshing action figures in a long time and we hope Hasbro follows these trends. The more obscure, the merrier! This is a great thing because it’s the collectors who have been neglected with Hasbro’s focus on The Clone Wars line. After all, that’s how Star Wars collecting really originated with Kenner creating obscure background characters to be almost as relevant of choice as the main characters. Although Eeth Koth had a major role in an episode of The Clone Wars show, it still is surprising to see him in plastic form. But it’s thrilling that we are getting the awesome Jedi from the series. Eeth Koth is awesome and besides his top heavy issue, he really is a standout figure, a definite addition for you collection.